The Mother’s Choice block shown in Nancy Martin’s Perpetual Calendar 365 Quilt Blocks A Year was my choice to play with. I have had this calendar for years and am using it to inspire myself in design.

Drawn on a 12 x 12 grid.

Set in a side by side straight set:

Again, set side by side but with the addition of sashing and cornerstones:

What I like about this block is that when you shift the value, you can bring out the stars!

You can also add and/or delete lines within the block to create alternate blocks.

What I haven’t shown, but what I think would be great fun, is to sew this block with lots of colorful scraps. The block can be composed of many half square triangles creating lots of opportunities for using scraps.

Those half square triangles also create lots of opportunities to experiment with value placement to create interesting designs.